MOP UP REGISTRATION BLITZ BEGINS

A mop-up mobile national registration blitz is expected to be rolled out soon to ensure everyone needing national ID cards can register as voters if they have not done so and ensure that all registered voters who may have lost their cards have the replacement national ID they need to exercise their vote.

Zimbabwe will hold harmonised elections this year.

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Kazembe Kazembe, delivered a ministerial statement in the National Assembly on Thursday, indicating that the mobile registration exercise would give an opportunity to people to obtain or replace lost identity documents.

“Preparations are underway to conduct a mop up national mobile registration exercise before the general elections,” said Minister Kazembe.

“This is an opportunity that will be given to those who failed to obtain or replace their identity documents during the initial exercise.

“The dates for the mop up exercise will be announced in due course.

“The national mobile registration exercise, which no doubt gave citizens across the country easy access to documents, dovetails with the national thrust of leaving no one and no place behind as we march towards the attainment of our national Vision 2030.”

Last year, the Civil Registry Department conducted a similar exercise between April and September, to reach out to all eligible Zimbabweans so they could obtain birth certificates, national identity documents, as well as death certificates.

The Department said it issued 3 203 389 documents for free in line with President Mnangagwa’s directive that the identity documents should not be sold.

Some of the registration requirements were relaxed to cater for as many people as possible.

Statistics show that 1 804 256 birth certificates,1 345 719 national identity documents and 53 414 death certificates were issued during the period.

Minister Kazembe said the forthcoming exercise will be done at no cost to individuals and would be held before the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission embarks on its voter registration blitz. Herald

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